ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – Leaders of the black community of Ferguson are appealing for calm in the wake of Sunday night’s rioting.

The Rev. BT Rice with the NAACP of St. Louis County was among those who rushed to the scene in Ferguson.

“We beg and plead for calm, and for people just to remain as peaceful as they can,” Rice says. “We know that anger is there, but it’s certainly not the way to express it through those kind of of violent means.”

Rice says they need to give the justice system time to determine the circumstances surrounding Saturday’s shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer.